


Fading

by Laurincia



Series: Disparaître [2]
Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Homophobia, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, only once tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 22:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20089534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurincia/pseuds/Laurincia
Summary: "What changed?" Gilles asked silently.Olivier waited for clarification."I remembered when your mark appeared. You were so excited, like you finally found a purpose." Gilles was solemn.Leaning back in his chair, Olivier started scratching at the table cloth, trying to come up with the right words to say. "When I visited the school. I just knew it was him. I saw him smiling, laughing. Happy." Olivier's eyes twisted shut, fighting back tears. "I started to doubt if I was the right one."





	Fading

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty much "Dwindling" but in Lion's POV  
It can be read as a standalone fic if you so desire

Olivier recalled the last time he was in Toulouse. He was young, stupid and desperate to find some sort of meaning. He found the army, left with them and never returned. He stood in front of his childhood home, staring at the door as if he could see through it. He finally mustered up the courage to step forward and knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing his mother, standing shocked and speechless. She choked out a sob, eyes filling with tears. Her face contorted, expression a mix of anguish, relief, happiness, and shock. She took a cautious step forward and wrapped her arms around Olivier, crying into his chest. He felt his resolve start breaking and he returned the hug. 

News of his return spread rather quickly as both Olivier’s father and older sister left work early. His sister Sophie reacted in nearly the exact same way his mother did, crying and thanking God that he came home safe, that he’s finally back. His father seemed more hesitant, more calculating, even suspicious. His mother had made them all tea, placing the tray of cups on the coffee table as everyone sat down. She gave him a sad smile and asked how things were. 

Olivier didn’t give them many details about his time in the army, opting to stick with the simpler things, things they wouldn’t protest too much about. The only details he gave were about his new job as a police officer. He started fiddling with the strap of his watch that he used to hide the name scrawled onto his wrist. It felt too tight. His sister seemed to notice but said nothing. 

After the short family meeting, Olivier ended up in his childhood room flipping through his old vinyl albums. Everything was exactly as he left it, the albums were sorted in the order they were most played, all his posters were still hanging on the walls and one corner of the room was dedicated to various rock instruments, untouched yet pristine, not a single speck of dust was seen on anything. The clock on the wall had long stopped running, stuck on 1:37. There was a knock on his door and he turned to see Sohpie standing there. Olivier sat down on his bed and she walked in, taking a seat next to him. “You know,” she started. “Even after everything, mom couldn’t bear to throw away your stuff.” She looked around at the various posters of select superheroes and bands adorning the cream-colored walls and sighed. “They do miss you. They really do.” 

Olivier didn’t say anything and started fidgeting with some stray guitar picks he found lying on his old desk. He was young and stupid, preferring to act out purely because he didn’t want to conform to his parent’s soft lifestyle. 

One mistake was all it took. One simple slip up. His watch was sitting on the counter of the bathroom sink and his father had gotten a glimpse of his wrist. He stood up and grabbed Olivier’s arm, scowling at the name he saw. He wasn’t given a chance to react as his father’s closed fist connected with his nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch. His mother was nowhere to be seen and Sophie was deathly silent, horrified.

“First you go and impregnate someone who’s not your soulmate and then you come back with a man's name on your wrist!” His father spat. “You haven’t changed at all.” 

Olivier sat on the floor trying to stop the blood flowing out of his nose. He was shaking. His father had always been the one to say that soulmates were not to be messed with, that you must always follow them. 

_ Hypocrite _ . 

Olivier wanted to shout. He wanted to scream, fight back and lash out, but he didn’t. It would just prove his father's point. Instead, Olivier stood up and left. He ignored his mother yelling at his father and his sister telling him to come back. 

He went back to the hotel he’d been staying at and lay down on the bed, seething. He picked up his phone and called the number on speed dial, closing his eyes as the line rang. 

_ “Hello?” _ The familiar voice on the other line was a comforting presence. 

“Gilles,” Olivier greeted.

_ “Olivier! How have you been? Haven’t heard from you in a while.” _

“Been busy with the police academy,” Olivier chuckled.

There was a laugh on the other end.  _ “Let me guess, you passed with flying colors?” _

“Am I really that predictable?”

_ “You forget who your closest friend is.”  _

Olivier could hear the feign offense in the other man’s voice. “I wanted to ask if I could stay at your place for a bit.”

Gilles’ cheery tone didn’t falter.  _ “Of course! Just give me a couple days to clean out my house, it’s a mess,”  _ he chuckled nervously.  _ “Why don’t you come visit me at the campus? It’ll be a treat to see your stupid face again.”  _

“I’ll take you up on that offer.”

  
  


Sophie managed to find Olivier the next day, returning his watch that he had left behind with a sad smile before leaving once again. Magically, Olivier’s designated precinct was near where Gilles worked and he made his way over to the campus as classes ended. He found the older man outside by the track, overseeing the practice. He noticed Olivier when he got closer and beamed, reaching out to wrap Olivier in a hug. “Look at you! You haven’t changed one bit,” Gilles teased, squeezing one of Olivier’s arms as he pulled away from the hug. 

“Teaching life has made you soft,” Olivier shot back. 

“Please, I can still kick your ass with my eyes closed.” 

Olivier rolled his eyes but laughed nonetheless. He turned to see a student walking down the bleachers and onto the track. "Who's that?" Olivier asked. 

"Who's who?" 

Olivier read the name printed on the back of the student’s shirt. "Nizan." 

"Oh! Julien! He's one of our best athletes," Gilles grinned, boasting. His expression quickly turned to one of realization. "Wait, you don't mean?"

Olivier shrugged, ignoring his heart pounding in his chest and the way it ached, longing to get closer. 

He watched as Julien faltered with the initial starting shot but quickly caught up, even overtaking the person that was in front. He finished first. 

Practice soon ended and Julien left with someone Olivier assumed to be a friend, laughing and smiling as they made their way back into the building. Soon it was Gilles’ turn to leave and he waved goodbye to Olivier, promising to get his house cleaned soon. 

As Olivier was leaving the campus himself, he noticed people’s curious stares and whispers. He ignored them. As he pushed through the main doors, he saw a pair of girls looking at him before turning to one another, gossiping in hushed voices. “Maybe he’s my soulmate,” one giggled, occasionally turning to steal a glance at Olivier. 

_ Soulmates _ . The word struck a chord. Olivier was so sure of it but he couldn't help but question it. Julien looked so happy with his friend, and who's to say Olivier can provide the same. 

* * *

“He asked about you,” Gilles muttered, slowly taking a sip of his tea. The day had been slow and stressful. A nice, quiet lunch with Olivier was a nice change of pace. 

Olivier stopped buttering his bread. “Who?” 

Gilles shook his head and sighed. “Don’t play dumb with me, Flament.  _ Julien _ .”

“What about him?” Olivier continued to play dumb as his heart rate started picking up. He received a frown in response. 

Gilles lowered his voice. “I know his name is on your wrist, and yours on his.”

“That means nothing to me,” Olivier hissed. His grip tightened on the butter knife in his hand. 

“Don’t give me that homophobic catholic shit!” Gilles snapped. 

Olivier slammed his hand down on the table, wincing as the glasses and plates clattered. Some people turned to stare. “That-” he paused and tripped over his words, feeling eyes burning into him, judging. His heartbeat was all he could hear. “That’s not it.” 

Gilles pressed. “Then what is it.” 

The butter knife slipped from his fingers and fell to the table. “Because I don’t deserve it,” he choked. 

The older man was silent for a moment, confused. "What changed?" Gilles asked silently. 

Olivier waited for clarification.

"I remembered when your mark appeared. You were so excited, like you finally found a purpose." Gilles was solemn. 

Leaning back in his chair, Olivier started scratching at the table cloth, trying to come up with the right words to say. "When I visited the school. I just knew it was him. I saw him smiling, laughing. Happy." Olivier's eyes twisted shut, fighting back tears. "I started to doubt if I was the right one."

* * *

Olivier was never really a coffee person, not having a particularly negative or positive opinion on it, but he never minded it either. It was just one of those days where he needed an extra-strong dose of caffeine to get through the first few hours of being awake. He stood in the small little coffee shop, breathing in the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans as he waited for his order, awkwardly shifting his weight onto one leg as he stared at some random motivational poster taped onto the stylized brick walls. He heard the soft jingling of bells from the opening door but paid no attention to it. 

Hearing his last name being called by the barista behind the counter brought Olivier back down to Earth as he raised an arm and took the drink with a smile and thanks. He could feel a familiar gaze on him and continued out of the shop. He had planned to do volunteer work at a nearby church later and needed all the energy he could get. 

  
  


Gilles had finally managed to clean out the spare bedroom in his apartment and called Olivier to tell him the news as Olivier finished up moving around some shelves in the church. 

The next day, Gilles came to pick up Olivier when he returned to the hotel and suspiciously eyed the single duffle bag that was slung around Olivier’s shoulder. As soon as they arrived at the apartment and Olivier threw down the bag, Gilles started scolding him for being irresponsible in not buying more clothes that aren’t just “bland t-shirts.” Olivier rolled his eyes and stole a spare hoodie from Gilles’ closet and headed out to the nearby mall for more clothes. It was his day off, might as well do something productive. 

He scanned the windows of a few stores with his hands shoved in his pockets, fiddling with a random pen he had picked off Gilles’ desk as he was furiously grading papers and muttering to himself about stupid students. 

A woman ran past him, crying and clearly distressed. Something wasn't right. 

Olivier’s senses were immediately on high alert, feeling something  _ off  _ but he still pushed on. A crowd had formed, all circled around something being the cause of the commotion. Alarm bells started ringing in his head.

Olivier’s heart started beating faster and faster until it was the only thing he could hear, drowning out the sounds of a panicked crowd as a gunshot rang out. As Olivier got a clear view of the situation, his heart sank and his stomach twisted. In a crazed man’s arms was Julien, thrashing around, desperately trying to escape the chokehold he was held in. Olivier had no doubt Julien could get out of the chokehold relatively easily but given the situation along with a gun pressed against his head, it wasn’t the smartest idea. He could hear a few people on their phones, making calls to the police. His thoughts drifted. He should be one of the officers on their way, but he chose today to take a day off. 

Clenching his fists, Olivier called for the man to freeze as he slowly moved forward. His eyes drifted to Julien. Seeing the younger man unharmed made Olivier relieved, but he couldn't let his guard down. 

The crowd was thinning. 

The assailant grit his teeth. "Get any closer and I blow his brains out you hear?!" 

Olivier stopped and the crazed man pulled back, causing Julien to stumble. He had to stall. He needed to keep the man's attention on him for at least five minutes, but Olivier knew that time could never be fully trusted. Hell, it could even take them twenty minutes to arrive. Given their current location and Olivier's own police station being a few minutes away, he had to take the chance. 

"Let him go," Olivier commanded, not allowing his voice to waver. 

The man pulled the gun away from Julien's head to point it at him and the few people too frozen in fear to move. A shot was fired above their heads and Olivier almost flinched. The remaining civilians fled.

"I'm not fuckin" stupid! I let him go and I die instantly!" 

Olivier counted the seconds as they passed. He would die, not right now, but soon. Soon couldn't come fast enough. 

"What is it that you want?" Olivier asked. 

The attacker narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "You a fucking cop?" 

Olivier quickly thought through his possible responses. He needed the one that would give him the most time. "Yes, I'm unarmed." 

"Fuck you," the assailant spat. 

"What do you want?" Repeated Olivier. From the corner of his eye, he could see a sniper get into position on one of the upper floors. 

The gun returned to Julien's head and the younger man flinched, trying to pull away. 

Olivier held his breath, and a gunshot echoed through the building. The sniper's bullet tore through the man's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain and let go of his hold on Julien, who ran the second he was able. Olivier rushed forward, adrenaline pumping through his veins as more shots were fired. He wrapped Julien around in his arms and turned so his back was facing the gunman, using his body as a shield. 

The gunshots stopped and Olivier stifled a cough. It was harder to breathe. His vision was getting blurry. There was a thud behind him. 

"Are you alright?" Olivier asked Julien. Sirens wailed in the distance. It would be too late. 

Julien nodded and Olivier smiled. He removed his arms from around Julien slowly sat down on the floor, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He chuckled but could barely hear it himself. "I'm glad." Fatigue gnawed at his bones. As his eyes fell closed, Olivier was overcome with a sense of ease. He felt his body fall back but could do nothing to stop it. He faintly heard Julien crying out for him before everything faded away. 

**Author's Note:**

> I love Lion s2g


End file.
